IT WAS a sense of adventure that persuaded Amanda Lindhout and Nigel Brennan, who had once been lovers, to travel to Somalia, one of the most dangerous corners of Africa, in 2008.

After they were kidnapped and held by gangsters for 462 days they lost not just their teeth and their hair but also all their fondness for one another. Their relationship imploded so badly that four years later they no longer talk to each other.

Brennan, 42, an Australian photographer, first met Lindhout, 32, a Canadian would-be reporter, when he was on the rebound from a failing marriage. Brennan said recently that he had loved her but felt “betrayed” during their 15-month ordeal.

Lindhout, who now portrays herself as a champion for women’s rights in Africa, plans to publish her version of events next month.